Fan-out semiconductor package

ABSTRACT

A fan-out semiconductor package includes: a frame including insulating layers, wiring layers, and connection via layers, and having a recess portion having a stopper layer; a semiconductor chip having connection pads, an active surface on which the connection pads are disposed, and an inactive surface opposing the active surface, and disposed in the recess portion so that the inactive surface is connected to the stopper layer; an encapsulant covering at least portions of the semiconductor chip and filling at least portions of the recess portion; and a connection member disposed on the frame and the active surface of the semiconductor chip and including a redistribution layer electrically connecting the wiring layers of the frame and the connection pads of the semiconductor chip to each other, wherein the stopper layer includes an insulating material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2017-0143838 filed on Oct. 31, 2017, in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor package, and moreparticularly, to a fan-out semiconductor package in which electricalconnection structures may extend outwardly of a region in which asemiconductor chip is disposed.

BACKGROUND

A significant recent trend in the development of technology related tosemiconductor chips has been reductions in the size of semiconductorchips. Therefore, in the field of package technology, in accordance witha rapid increase in demand for small-sized semiconductor chips, or thelike, the implementation of a semiconductor package, having a compactsize while including a plurality of pins, has been demanded.

One type of semiconductor package technology suggested to satisfy thetechnical demand, described above, is a fan-out semiconductor package.Such a fan-out package has a compact size and may allow a plurality ofpins to be implemented by redistributing connection terminals outwardlyof a region in which a semiconductor chip is disposed.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure may provide a fan-out semiconductorpackage in which a frame having a blind recess portion is introduced, asemiconductor chip is disposed in the recess portion, and gradients ofwalls of the recess portion are controlled to optimize a process.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a fan-outsemiconductor package may be provided, in which an insulating materialis used as a material of a stopper layer for forming a blind recessportion.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a fan-outsemiconductor package may include: a frame including a plurality ofinsulating layers, a plurality of wiring layers disposed on theplurality of insulating layers, and a plurality of connection via layerspenetrating through the plurality of insulating layers and electricallyconnecting the plurality of wiring layers to each other, and having arecess portion having a stopper layer disposed on a bottom surfacethereof; a semiconductor chip having connection pads, an active surfaceon which the connection pads are disposed, and an inactive surfaceopposing the active surface, and disposed in the recess portion so thatthe inactive surface is connected to the stopper layer; an encapsulantcovering at least portions of the semiconductor chip and filling atleast portions of the recess portion; and a connection member disposedon the frame and the active surface of the semiconductor chip andincluding a redistribution layer electrically connecting the pluralityof wiring layers of the frame and the connection pads of thesemiconductor chip to each other, wherein the stopper layer includes aninsulating material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of anelectronic device system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of anelectronic device;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating statesof a fan-in semiconductor package before and after being packaged;

FIG. 4 is schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a packagingprocess of a fan-in semiconductor package;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case in whicha fan-in semiconductor package is mounted on a ball grid array (BGA)substrate and is ultimately mounted on a mainboard of an electronicdevice;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case in whicha fan-in semiconductor package is embedded in a BGA substrate and isultimately mounted on a mainboard of an electronic device;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a fan-outsemiconductor package;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case in whicha fan-out semiconductor package is mounted on a mainboard of anelectronic device;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of afan-out semiconductor package;

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view taken along line I-I′ of the fan-outsemiconductor package of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A through 11D are schematic views illustrating processes ofmanufacturing the fan-out semiconductor package of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another exampleof a fan-out semiconductor package;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a process offorming a recess portion of the fan-out semiconductor package of FIG.12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another exampleof a fan-out semiconductor package;

FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view taken along line II-II′ of the fan-outsemiconductor package of FIG. 14; and

FIGS. 16A through 16C are schematic views illustrating processes ofmanufacturing the fan-out semiconductor package of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments in the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. In theaccompanying drawings, shapes, sizes, and the like, of components may beexaggerated or shortened for clarity.

Herein, a lower side, a lower portion, a lower surface, and the like,are used to refer to a direction toward a mounting surface of thefan-out semiconductor package in relation to cross sections of thedrawings, while an upper side, an upper portion, an upper surface, andthe like, are used to refer to an opposite direction to the direction.However, these directions are defined for convenience of explanation,and the claims are not particularly limited by the directions defined asdescribed above.

The meaning of a “connection” of a component to another component in thedescription includes an indirect connection through an adhesive layer aswell as a direct connection between two components. In addition,“electrically connected” conceptually includes a physical connection anda physical disconnection. It can be understood that when an element isreferred to with terms such as “first” and “second”, the element is notlimited thereby. They may be used only for a purpose of distinguishingthe element from the other elements, and may not limit the sequence orimportance of the elements. In some cases, a first element may bereferred to as a second element without departing from the scope of theclaims set forth herein. Similarly, a second element may also bereferred to as a first element.

The term “an exemplary embodiment” used herein does not refer to thesame exemplary embodiment, and is provided to emphasize a particularfeature or characteristic different from that of another exemplaryembodiment. However, exemplary embodiments provided herein areconsidered to be able to be implemented by being combined in whole or inpart one with one another. For example, one element described in aparticular exemplary embodiment, even if it is not described in anotherexemplary embodiment, may be understood as a description related toanother exemplary embodiment, unless an opposite or contradictorydescription is provided therein.

Terms used herein are used only in order to describe an exemplaryembodiment rather than limiting the present disclosure. In this case,singular forms include plural forms unless interpreted otherwise incontext.

Electronic Device

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of anelectronic device system.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device 1000 may accommodate amainboard 1010 therein. The mainboard 1010 may include chip relatedcomponents 1020, network related components 1030, other components 1040,and the like, physically or electrically connected thereto. Thesecomponents may be connected to others to be described below to formvarious signal lines 1090.

The chip related components 1020 may include a memory chip such as avolatile memory (for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM)), anon-volatile memory (for example, a read only memory (ROM)), a flashmemory, or the like; an application processor chip such as a centralprocessor (for example, a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphicsprocessor (for example, a graphics processing unit (GPU)), a digitalsignal processor, a cryptographic processor, a microprocessor, amicrocontroller, or the like; and a logic chip such as ananalog-to-digital (ADC) converter, an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or the like. However, the chip related components 1020are not limited thereto, but may also include other types of chiprelated components. In addition, the chip related components 1020 may becombined with each other.

The network related components 1030 may include protocols such aswireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) (Institute of Electrical And ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 family, or the like), worldwide interoperabilityfor microwave access (WiMAX) (IEEE 802.16 family, or the like), IEEE802.20, long term evolution (LTE), evolution data only (Ev-DO), highspeed packet access+ (HSPA+), high speed downlink packet access+(HSDPA+), high speed uplink packet access+ (HSUPA+), enhanced data GSMenvironment (EDGE), global system for mobile communications (GSM),global positioning system (GPS), general packet radio service (GPRS),code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access(TDMA), digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT), Bluetooth,3G, 4G, and 5G protocols, and any other wireless and wired protocols,designated after the abovementioned protocols. However, the networkrelated components 1030 are not limited thereto, but may also include avariety of other wireless or wired standards or protocols. In addition,the network related components 1030 may be combined with each other,together with the chip related components 1020 described above.

Other components 1040 may include a high frequency inductor, a ferriteinductor, a power inductor, ferrite beads, a low temperature co-firedceramic (LTCC), an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter, amultilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), or the like. However, othercomponents 1040 are not limited thereto, but may also include passivecomponents used for various other purposes, or the like. In addition,other components 1040 may be combined with each other, together with thechip related components 1020 or the network related components 1030described above.

Depending on a type of the electronic device 1000, the electronic device1000 may include other components that may or may not be physically orelectrically connected to the mainboard 1010. These other components mayinclude, for example, a camera module 1050, an antenna 1060, a displaydevice 1070, a battery 1080, an audio codec (not illustrated), a videocodec (not illustrated), a power amplifier (not illustrated), a compass(not illustrated), an accelerometer (not illustrated), a gyroscope (notillustrated), a speaker (not illustrated), a mass storage unit (forexample, a hard disk drive) (not illustrated), a compact disk (CD) drive(not illustrated), a digital versatile disk (DVD) drive (notillustrated), or the like. However, these other components are notlimited thereto, but may also include other components used for variouspurposes depending on a type of electronic device 1000, or the like.

The electronic device 1000 may be a smartphone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a digital video camera, a digital still camera, anetwork system, a computer, a monitor, a tablet PC, a laptop PC, anetbook PC, a television, a video game machine, a smartwatch, anautomotive component, or the like. However, the electronic device 1000is not limited thereto, but may be any other electronic deviceprocessing data.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of anelectronic device.

Referring to FIG. 2, a semiconductor package may be used for variouspurposes in the various electronic devices 1000 as described above. Forexample, a mainboard 1110 may be accommodated in a body 1101 of asmartphone 1100, and various electronic components 1120 may bephysically or electrically connected to the mainboard 1110. In addition,other components that may or may not be physically or electricallyconnected to the mainboard 1110, such as a camera module 1130, may beaccommodated in the body 1101. Some of the electronic components 1120may be the chip related components, for example, a semiconductor package1121, but are not limited thereto. The electronic device is notnecessarily limited to the smartphone 1100, but may be other electronicdevices as described above.

Semiconductor Package

Generally, numerous fine electrical circuits are integrated in asemiconductor chip. However, the semiconductor chip may not serve as afinished semiconductor product in itself, and may be damaged due toexternal physical or chemical impacts. Therefore, the semiconductor chipitself may not be used, but may be packaged and used in an electronicdevice, or the like, in a packaged state.

Here, semiconductor packaging is required due to the existence of adifference in a circuit width between the semiconductor chip and amainboard of the electronic device in terms of electrical connections.In detail, a size of connection pads of the semiconductor chip and aninterval between the connection pads of the semiconductor chip are veryfine, but a size of component mounting pads of the mainboard used in theelectronic device and an interval between the component mounting pads ofthe mainboard are significantly larger than those of the semiconductorchip. Therefore, it may be difficult to directly mount the semiconductorchip on the mainboard, and packaging technology for buffering adifference in a circuit width between the semiconductor chip and themainboard is required.

A semiconductor package manufactured by the packaging technology may beclassified as a fan-in semiconductor package or a fan-out semiconductorpackage depending on a structure and a purpose thereof.

The fan-in semiconductor package and the fan-out semiconductor packagewill hereinafter be described in more detail with reference to thedrawings.

Fan-in Semiconductor Package

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating statesof a fan-in semiconductor package before and after being packaged.

FIG. 4 is schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a packagingprocess of a fan-in semiconductor package.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a semiconductor chip 2220 may be, forexample, an integrated circuit (IC) in a bare state, including a body2221 including silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), orthe like, connection pads 2222 formed on one surface of the body 2221and including a conductive material such as aluminum (Al), or the like,and a passivation layer 2223 such as an oxide film, a nitride film, orthe like, formed on one surface of the body 2221 and covering at leastportions of the connection pads 2222. In this case, since the connectionpads 2222 may be significantly small, it may be difficult to mount theintegrated circuit (IC) on an intermediate level printed circuit board(PCB) as well as on the mainboard of the electronic device, or the like.

Therefore, a connection member 2240 may be formed depending on a size ofthe semiconductor chip 2220 on the semiconductor chip 2220 in order toredistribute the connection pads 2222. The connection member 2240 may beformed by forming an insulating layer 2241 on the semiconductor chip2220 using an insulating material such as a photoimagable dielectric(PID) resin, forming via holes 2243 h opening the connection pads 2222,and then forming wiring patterns 2242 and vias 2243. Then, a passivationlayer 2250 protecting the connection member 2240 may be formed, anopening 2251 may be formed, and an underbump metal layer 2260, or thelike, may be formed. That is, a fan-in semiconductor package 2200including, for example, the semiconductor chip 2220, the connectionmember 2240, the passivation layer 2250, and the underbump metal layer2260 may be manufactured through a series of processes.

As described above, the fan-in semiconductor package may have a packageform in which all of the connection pads, for example, input/output(I/O) terminals, of the semiconductor chip are disposed inside thesemiconductor chip, and may have excellent electrical characteristicsand be produced at a low cost. Therefore, many elements mounted insmartphones have been manufactured in a fan-in semiconductor packageform. In detail, many elements mounted in smartphones have beendeveloped to implement a rapid signal transfer while having a compactsize.

However, since all I/O terminals need to be disposed inside thesemiconductor chip in the fan-in semiconductor package, the fan-insemiconductor package has significant spatial limitations. Therefore, itis difficult to apply this structure to a semiconductor chip having alarge number of I/O terminals or a semiconductor chip having a compactsize. In addition, due to the disadvantage described above, the fan-insemiconductor package may not be directly mounted and used on themainboard of the electronic device. The reason is that even though asize of the I/O terminals of the semiconductor chip and an intervalbetween the I/O terminals of the semiconductor chip are increased by aredistribution process, the size of the I/O terminals of thesemiconductor chip and the interval between the I/O terminals of thesemiconductor chip are not enough to directly mount the fan-insemiconductor package on the mainboard of the electronic device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case in whicha fan-in semiconductor package is mounted on a ball grid array (BGA)substrate and is ultimately mounted on a mainboard of an electronicdevice.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case in whicha fan-in semiconductor package is embedded in a BGA substrate and isultimately mounted on a mainboard of an electronic device.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in a fan-in semiconductor package 2200,connection pads 2222, that is, I/O terminals, of a semiconductor chip2220 may be redistributed through a BGA substrate 2301, and the fan-insemiconductor package 2200 may be ultimately mounted on a mainboard 2500of an electronic device in a state in which it is mounted on the BGAsubstrate 2301. In this case, solder balls 2270, and the like, may befixed by an underfill resin 2280, or the like, and an outer side of thesemiconductor chip 2220 may be covered with a molding material 2290, orthe like. Alternatively, a fan-in semiconductor package 2200 may beembedded in a separate BGA substrate 2302, connection pads 2222, thatis, I/O terminals, of the semiconductor chip 2220 may be redistributedby the BGA substrate 2302 in a state in which the fan-in semiconductorpackage 2200 is embedded in the BGA substrate 2302, and the fan-insemiconductor package 2200 may be ultimately mounted on a mainboard 2500of an electronic device.

As described above, it may be difficult to directly mount and use thefan-in semiconductor package on the mainboard of the electronic device.Therefore, the fan-in semiconductor package may be mounted on theseparate BGA substrate and be then mounted on the mainboard of theelectronic device through a packaging process or may be mounted and usedon the mainboard of the electronic device in a state in which it isembedded in the BGA substrate.

Fan-Out Semiconductor Package

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a fan-outsemiconductor package.

Referring to FIG. 7, in a fan-out semiconductor package 2100, forexample, an outer side of a semiconductor chip 2120 may be protected byan encapsulant 2130, and connection pads 2122 of the semiconductor chip2120 may be redistributed outwardly of the semiconductor chip 2120 by aconnection member 2140. In this case, a passivation layer 2150 mayfurther be formed on the connection member 2140, and an underbump metallayer 2160 may further be formed in openings of the passivation layer2150. Solder balls 2170 may further be formed on the underbump metallayer 2160. The semiconductor chip 2120 may be an integrated circuit(IC) including a body 2121, the connection pads 2122, a passivationlayer (not illustrated), and the like. The connection member 2140 mayinclude an insulating layer 2141, redistribution layers 2142 formed onthe insulating layer 2141, and vias 2143 electrically connecting theconnection pads 2122 and the redistribution layers 2142 to each other.

As described above, the fan-out semiconductor package may have a form inwhich I/O terminals of the semiconductor chip are redistributed anddisposed outwardly of the semiconductor chip through the connectionmember formed on the semiconductor chip. As described above, in thefan-in semiconductor package, all I/O terminals of the semiconductorchip need to be disposed inside the semiconductor chip. Therefore, whena size of the semiconductor chip is decreased, a size and a pitch ofballs need to be decreased, such that a standardized ball layout may notbe used in the fan-in semiconductor package. On the other hand, thefan-out semiconductor package has the form in which the I/O terminals ofthe semiconductor chip are redistributed and disposed outwardly of thesemiconductor chip through the connection member formed on thesemiconductor chip as described above. Therefore, even in a case inwhich a size of the semiconductor chip is decreased, a standardized balllayout may be used in the fan-out semiconductor package as it is, suchthat the fan-out semiconductor package may be mounted on the mainboardof the electronic device without using a separate BGA substrate, asdescribed below.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case in whicha fan-out semiconductor package is mounted on a mainboard of anelectronic device.

Referring to FIG. 8, a fan-out semiconductor package 2100 may be mountedon a mainboard 2500 of an electronic device through solder balls 2170,or the like. That is, as described above, the fan-out semiconductorpackage 2100 includes the connection member 2140 formed on thesemiconductor chip 2120 and capable of redistributing the connectionpads 2122 to a fan-out region that is outside of a size of thesemiconductor chip 2120, such that the standardized ball layout may beused in the fan-out semiconductor package 2100 as it is. As a result,the fan-out semiconductor package 2100 may be mounted on the mainboard2500 of the electronic device without using a separate BGA substrate, orthe like.

As described above, since the fan-out semiconductor package may bemounted on the mainboard of the electronic device without using theseparate BGA substrate, the fan-out semiconductor package may beimplemented at a thickness lower than that of the fan-in semiconductorpackage using the BGA substrate. Therefore, the fan-out semiconductorpackage may be miniaturized and thinned. In addition, the fan-outsemiconductor package has excellent thermal characteristics andelectrical characteristics, such that it is particularly appropriate fora mobile product. Therefore, the fan-out semiconductor package may beimplemented in a form more compact than that of a generalpackage-on-package (POP) type using a printed circuit board (PCB), andmay solve a problem due to the occurrence of a warpage phenomenon.

Meanwhile, the fan-out semiconductor package refers to packagetechnology for mounting the semiconductor chip on the mainboard of theelectronic device, or the like, as described above, and protecting thesemiconductor chip from external impacts, and is a concept differentfrom that of a printed circuit board (PCB) such as a BGA substrate, orthe like, having a scale, a purpose, and the like, different from thoseof the fan-out semiconductor package, and having the fan-insemiconductor package embedded therein.

A fan-out semiconductor package in which a frame having a blind recessportion by a stopper layer is introduced will hereinafter be describedwith reference to the drawings.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of afan-out semiconductor package.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view taken along line I-I′ of the fan-outsemiconductor package of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a fan-out semiconductor package 100Aaccording to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure mayinclude a frame 110 having a recess portion 110H having a blind form ofwhich a first surface is covered with a stopper layer 112 aD and asecond surface opposing the first surface is opened, a semiconductorchip 120 having an active surface having connection pads 120P disposedthereon and an inactive surface opposing the active surface and disposedin the recess portion 110H so that the inactive surface is attached tothe stopper layer 112 aD, an encapsulant 130 encapsulating at leastportions of each of the frame 110 and the semiconductor chip 120 andfilling at least portions of the recess portion 110H, and a connectionmember 140 disposed on the frame 110 and the active surface of thesemiconductor chip 120. The frame 110 may include wiring layers 112 a,112 b, 112 c, and 112 d electrically connected to each other throughconnection via layers 113 a, 113 b, and 113 c, the connection member 140may include redistribution layers 142 electrically connected to eachother through connection vias 143, and the wiring layers 112 a, 112 b,112 c, and 112 d may be electrically connected to the connection pads120P of the semiconductor chip 120 through the redistribution layers142.

In addition, the fan-out semiconductor package 100A according to theexemplary embodiment may further include a first passivation layer 151disposed on the connection member 140 and having openings exposing atleast portions of the redistribution layer 142 of the connection member140, a second passivation layer 152 disposed on the frame 110 and havingopenings exposing at least portions of the wiring layer 112 c of theframe 110, underbump metal layers 160 disposed in the openings of thefirst passivation layer 151 and electrically connected to the exposedredistribution layer 142, and electrical connection structures 170disposed on the underbump metal layers 160 and electrically connected tothe exposed redistribution layer 142 through the underbump metal layers160, if necessary.

Meanwhile, the stopper layer 112 aD may include a material having anetching rate lower than that of a metal such as copper (Cu) in asandblasting process. For example, the stopper layer 112 aD may includean insulating material. In more detail, the stopper layer 112 aD may be,for example, a dry film photo-resist (DFR) including a photosensitivepolymer, but is not limited thereto. The material having a very lowetching rate, such as the DFR, may be used as the material of thestopper layer 112 aD, such that a process margin may be improved in thesandblasting process. Resultantly, a process may be optimized.

The respective components included in the fan-out semiconductor package100A according to the exemplary embodiment will hereinafter be describedin more detail.

The frame 110 may improve rigidity of the fan-out semiconductor package100A depending on certain materials, and serve to secure uniformity of athickness of the encapsulant 130. In addition, the frame 110 may includethe wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d, and the connection vialayers 113 a, 113 b, and 113 c, and thus serve as a connection member.The frame 110 may include the wiring layer 112 c disposed on theinactive surface of the semiconductor chip 120, and thus provide abackside wiring layer for the semiconductor chip 120 without performinga process of forming a separate backside wiring layer. The frame 110 mayhave the recess portion 110H formed using the stopper layer 112 aD as astopper and having the blind form, and the inactive surface of thesemiconductor chip 120 may be attached to the stopper layer 112 aDthrough any known adhesive member 125 such as a die attach film (DAF),or the like. The recess portion 110H may be formed by a sandblastingprocess as described below. In this case, the recess portion 110H mayhave a tapered shape. That is, walls of the recess portion 110H may havea predetermined gradient in relation to the stopper layer 112 aD. Inthis case, a process of aligning the semiconductor chip 120 may beeasier, and a yield of the semiconductor chip 120 may thus be improved.

The frame 110 may include a first insulating layer 111 a, a first wiringlayer 112 a disposed on a first surface of the first insulating layer111 a, a second wiring layer 112 b disposed on a second surface of thefirst insulating layer 111 a, a second insulating layer 111 b disposedon the first surface of the first insulating layer 111 a and coveringthe first wiring layer 112 a, a third wiring layer 112 c disposed on thesecond insulating layer 111 b, a third insulating layer 111 c disposedon the second surface of the first insulating layer 111 a and coveringthe second wiring layer 112 b, and a fourth wiring layer 112 d disposedon the third insulating layer 111 c. In addition, the frame 110 mayinclude first connection via layers 113 a penetrating through the firstinsulating layer 111 a and electrically connecting the first and secondwiring layers 112 a and 112 b to each other, second connection vialayers 113 b penetrating through the second insulating layer 111 b andelectrically connecting the first and third wiring layers 112 a and 112c to each other, and third connection via layers 113 c penetratingthrough the third insulating layer 111 c and electrically connecting thesecond and fourth wiring layers 112 b and 112 d to each other. The firstto fourth wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may beelectrically connected to each other, and may be electrically connectedto connection pads 120P of the semiconductor chip 120.

The stopper layer 112 aD may be disposed on the first surface of thefirst insulating layer 111 a, and a first surface of the stopper layer112 aD may be covered with the second insulating layer 111 b and atleast portions of a second surface of the stopper layer 112 aD opposingthe first surface of the stopper layer 112 aD may be exposed by therecess portion 110H. The recess portion 110H may penetrate through thefirst and third insulating layers 111 a and 111 c, but may not penetratethrough the second insulating layer 111 b. The walls of the recessportions 110H formed in the first and third insulating layers 111 a and111 c may have substantially the same gradient. A thickness of an edgeregion of the stopper layer 112 aD in contact with the first insulatinglayer 111 a may be greater than that of a region of the stopper layer112 aD exposed from the first insulating layer 111 a by the recessportion 110H. The reason is that portions of the exposed region may alsobe removed in a sandblasting process.

A material of each of the insulating layers 111 a, 111 b, and 111 c maybe an insulating material. In this case, the insulating material may bea thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, a thermoplastic resin suchas a polyimide resin, a resin in which the thermosetting resin or thethermoplastic resin is mixed with an inorganic filler or is impregnatedtogether with an inorganic filler in a core material such as a glassfiber (or a glass cloth or a glass fabric), for example, prepreg,Ajinomoto Build up Film (ABF), FR-4, Bismaleimide Triazine (BT), or thelike. When a material having high rigidity, such as prepreg including aglass fiber, or the like, is used as the material of each of theinsulating layers 111 a, 111 b, and 111 c, the frame 110 may be utilizedas a support member for controlling warpage of the fan-out semiconductorpackage 100A.

The first insulating layer 111 a may have a thickness greater than thoseof the second insulating layer 111 b and the third insulating layer 111c. The first insulating layer 111 a may be basically relatively thick inorder to maintain rigidity, and the second insulating layer 111 b andthe third insulating layer 111 c may be introduced in order to form alarger number of wiring layers 112 c and 112 d. The first insulatinglayer 111 a may include an insulating material different from those ofthe second insulating layer 111 b and the third insulating layer 111 c.For example, the first insulating layer 111 a may be, for example,prepreg in which an insulating resin is impregnated together with aninorganic filler in a glass fiber, and the second insulating layer 111 band the third insulating layer 111 c may be an ABF or a PID filmincluding an inorganic filler and an insulating resin. However, thematerials of the first insulating layer 111 a and the second and thirdinsulating layers 111 b and 111 c are not limited thereto. Similarly,the first connection via layer 113 a penetrating through the firstinsulating layer 111 a may have a diameter greater than those of thesecond and third connection via layers 113 b and 113 c each penetratingthrough the second and third insulating layers 111 b and 111 c.

The wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may redistribute theconnection pads 120P of the semiconductor chip 120, and may beelectrically connected to the connection pads 120P through theredistribution layers 142. A material of each of the wiring layers 112a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may be a conductive material such as copper(Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead(Pb), titanium (Ti), or alloys thereof. The wiring layers 112 a, 112 b,112 c, and 112 d may perform various functions depending on designs ofcorresponding layers. For example, the wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112c, and 112 d may include ground (GND) patterns, power (PWR) patterns,signal (S) patterns, and the like. Here, the signal (S) patterns mayinclude various signals except for the ground (GND) patterns, the power(PWR) patterns, and the like, such as data signals, and the like. Inaddition, the wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may includevarious pad patterns.

Thicknesses of the wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may begreater than those of the redistribution layers 142 of the connectionmember 140. Since the frame 110 may be formed by a substrate process,the wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may also be formed tohave large sizes. On the other hand, since the connection member 140 maybe formed by a semiconductor process, the redistribution layers 142 ofthe connection member 140 may be formed to have relatively small sizesfor thinness.

The connection via layers 113 a, 113 b, and 113 c may electricallyconnect the wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d formed ondifferent layers to each other, resulting in an electrical path in theframe 110. A material of each of the connection via layers 113 a, 113 b,and 113 c may be a conductive material. Each of the connection vialayers 113 a, 113 b, and 113 c may be completely filled with theconductive material, or the conductive material may also be formed alonga wall of each of via holes. The first connection via layer 113 a mayhave a cylindrical shape or an hourglass shape, and the second and thirdconnection via layers 113 b and 113 c may have tapered shapes. In thiscase, the second and third connection via layers 113 b and 113 c mayhave tapered shapes of which directions are opposite to each other inrelation to the first insulating layer 111 a.

The semiconductor chip 120 may be an integrated circuit (IC) provided inan amount of several hundred to several million or more elementsintegrated in a single chip. The semiconductor chip 120 may be, forexample, a processor chip (more specifically, an application processor(AP)) such as a central processor (for example, a CPU), a graphicprocessor (for example, a GPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA),a digital signal processor, a cryptographic processor, a microprocessor,a micro controller, or the like, but is not limited thereto. Inaddition, the semiconductor chip 120 may be a memory chip such as avolatile memory (such as a DRAM), a non-volatile memory (such as a ROM),a flash memory, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The semiconductor chip 120 may be formed on the basis of an activewafer, and a base material of a body of the semiconductor chip 120 maybe silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), or the like.Various circuits may be formed on the body. The connection pads 120P mayelectrically connect the semiconductor chip 120 to other components. Amaterial of each of the connection pads 120P may be a conductivematerial such as aluminum (Al), or the like. A passivation layerexposing the connection pads 120P may be formed on the body, and may bean oxide film, a nitride film, or the like, or a double layer of anoxide layer and a nitride layer. An insulating layer, and the like, mayalso be further disposed in required positions. The semiconductor chip120 may be a bare die, but may further include a redistribution layerformed on the active surface thereof, if necessary.

The semiconductor chip 120 may include bumps 120B each disposed on theconnection pads 120P and connected to the connection pads 120P. Each ofthe bumps 120B may be formed of a metal such as copper (Cu) or may beformed of a solder. As seen from a process to be described below, thefan-out semiconductor package 100A according to the exemplary embodimentis subjected to a grinding process, and a surface of the fourth wiringlayer 112 d of the frame 110 connected to the redistribution layer 142may thus be disposed on the same level as that of a surface of each ofthe bumps 120B of the semiconductor chip 120 connected to theredistribution layer 142. The same level may conceptually include a finedifference due to a process error. Therefore, a height of the connectionvia 143 connecting the bump 120B to the redistribution layer 142 and aheight of the connection via 143 connecting the fourth wiring layer 112d to the redistribution layer 142 may be the same as each other. Thesame height may conceptually include a fine difference due to a processerror. When a surface on which the connection member 140 is formed isflat, insulating layers 141 may be flatly formed, and the redistributionlayers 142, the connection vias 143, or the like, may thus be morefinely formed.

The encapsulant 130 may protect the frame 110, the semiconductor chip120, and the like. An encapsulation form of the encapsulant 130 is notparticularly limited, but may be a form in which the encapsulant 130surrounds at least portions of the frame 110, the semiconductor chip120, and the like. For example, the encapsulant 130 may cover the frame110 and the active surface of the semiconductor chip 120, and fillspaces between the walls of the recess portion 110H and side surfaces ofthe semiconductor chip 120. The encapsulant 130 may fill the recessportion 110H to thus serve as an adhesive and reduce buckling of thesemiconductor chip 120 depending on certain materials.

A material of the encapsulant 130 is not particularly limited. Forexample, an insulating material may be used as the material of theencapsulant 130. In this case, the insulating material may be athermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, a thermoplastic resin suchas a polyimide resin, a resin in which the thermosetting resin or thethermoplastic resin is mixed with an inorganic filler or is impregnatedtogether with an inorganic filler in a core material such as a glassfiber (or a glass cloth or a glass fabric), for example, prepreg, ABF,FR-4, BT, or the like. Alternatively, a photoimagable encapsulant (PIE)resin may also be used as the insulating material.

The connection member 140 may redistribute the connection pads 120P ofthe semiconductor chip 120, and may electrically connect the wiringlayers 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d of the frame 110 to the connectionpads 120P of the semiconductor chip 120. Several tens to severalmillions of connection pads 120P of the semiconductor chip 120 havingvarious functions may be redistributed by the connection member 140, andmay be physically or electrically externally connected through theelectrical connection structures 170 depending on the functions. Theconnection member 140 may include the insulating layers 141 disposed onthe frame 110 and the active surface of the semiconductor chip 120, theredistribution layers 142 disposed on the insulating layers 141, and theconnection vias 143 penetrating through the insulating layers 141 andconnecting the connection pads 120P, the fourth wiring layer 112 d, andeach of the redistribution layers 142 to each other. The numbers ofinsulating layers, redistribution layers, via layers of the connectionmember 140 may be more than or less than those illustrated in thedrawing.

A material of each of the insulating layers 141 may be an insulatingmaterial. In this case, a photosensitive insulating material such as aPID resin may also be used as the insulating material. That is, each ofthe insulating layers 141 may be a photosensitive insulating layer. Whenthe insulating layer 141 has photosensitive properties, the insulatinglayer 141 may be formed to have a smaller thickness, and a fine pitch ofthe connection via 143 may be achieved more easily. Each of theinsulating layers 141 may be a photosensitive insulating layer includingan insulating resin and an inorganic filler. When the insulating layers141 are multiple layers, materials of the insulating layers 141 may bethe same as each other, and may also be different from each other, ifnecessary. When the insulating layers 141 are the multiple layers, theinsulating layers 141 may be integrated with each other depending on aprocess, such that a boundary therebetween may also not be apparent.

The redistribution layers 142 may serve to substantially redistributethe connection pads 120P. A material of each of the redistributionlayers 142 may be a conductive material such as copper (Cu), aluminum(Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium(Ti), or alloys thereof. The redistribution layers 142 may performvarious functions depending on designs of corresponding layers. Forexample, the redistribution layers 142 may include ground (GND)patterns, power (PWR) patterns, signal (S) patterns, and the like. Here,the signal (S) patterns may include various signals except for theground (GND) patterns, the power (PWR) patterns, and the like, such asdata signals, and the like. In addition, the redistribution layers 142may include various pad patterns, and the like.

The connection vias 143 may electrically connect the redistributionlayers 142, the connection pads 120P, and the fourth wiring layer 112 d,and the like, formed on different layers to each other, resulting in anelectrical path in the fan-out semiconductor package 100A. A material ofeach of the connection vias 143 may be a conductive material such ascopper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel(Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), or alloys thereof. Each of theconnection vias 143 may be completely filled with the conductivematerial, or the conductive material may also be formed along a wall ofeach of the connection vias. In addition, each of the connection vias143 may have a tapered shape, or the like.

The first passivation layer 151 may protect the connection member 140from external physical or chemical damage. The first passivation layer151 may have the openings exposing at least portions of theredistribution layer 142 of the connection member 140. The number ofopenings formed in the first passivation layer 151 may be several tensto several millions. A material of the first passivation layer 151 isnot particularly limited. For example, an insulating material may beused as the material of the first passivation layer 151. In this case,the insulating material may be a thermosetting resin such as an epoxyresin, a thermoplastic resin such as a polyimide resin, a resin in whichthe thermosetting resin or the thermoplastic resin is mixed with aninorganic filler or is impregnated together with an inorganic filler ina core material such as a glass fiber (or a glass cloth or a glassfabric), for example, prepreg, ABF, FR-4, BT, or the like.Alternatively, a solder resist may also be used.

The second passivation layer 152 may protect the frame 110 from externalphysical or chemical damage. The second passivation layer 152 may havethe openings exposing at least portions of the third wiring layer 112 cof the frame 110. The number of openings formed in the secondpassivation layer 152 may be several tens to several millions. Amaterial of the second passivation layer 152 is not particularlylimited. For example, an insulating material may be used as the materialof the second passivation layer 152. In this case, the insulatingmaterial may be a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, athermoplastic resin such as a polyimide resin, a resin in which thethermosetting resin or the thermoplastic resin is mixed with aninorganic filler or is impregnated together with an inorganic filler ina core material such as a glass fiber (or a glass cloth or a glassfabric), for example, prepreg, ABF, FR-4, BT, or the like.Alternatively, a solder resist may also be used.

The underbump metal layers 160 may improve connection reliability of theelectrical connection structures 170 to improve board level reliabilityof the fan-out semiconductor package 100A. The underbump metal layers160 may be connected to the redistribution layer 142 of the connectionmember 140 exposed through the openings of the first passivation layer151. The underbump metal layers 160 may be formed in the openings of thefirst passivation layer 151 by any known metallization method using anyknown conductive material such as a metal, but are not limited thereto.

The electrical connection structures 170 may physically or electricallyexternally connect the fan-out semiconductor package 100A. For example,the fan-out semiconductor package 100A may be mounted on the mainboardof the electronic device through the electrical connection structures170. Each of the electrical connection structures 170 may be formed of aconductive material, for example, a solder, or the like. However, thisis only an example, and a material of each of the electrical connectionstructures 170 is not particularly limited thereto. Each of theelectrical connection structures 170 may be a land, a ball, a pin, orthe like. The electrical connection structures 170 may be formed as amultilayer or single layer structure. When the electrical connectionstructures 170 are formed as a multilayer structure, the electricalconnection structures 170 may include a copper (Cu) pillar and a solder.When the electrical connection structures 170 are formed as a singlelayer structure, the electrical connection structures 170 may include atin-silver solder or copper (Cu). However, this is only an example, andthe electrical connection structures 170 are not limited thereto.

The number, an interval, a disposition form, and the like, of electricalconnection structures 170 are not particularly limited, but may besuitably modified depending on design particulars. For example, theelectrical connection structures 170 may be provided in an amount ofseveral tens to several thousands according to the number of connectionpads 120P, or may be provided in an amount of several tens to severalthousands or more or several tens to several thousands or less. When theelectrical connection structures 170 are solder balls, the electricalconnection structures 170 may cover side surfaces of the underbump metallayers 160 extending onto one surface of the first passivation layer151, and connection reliability may be more excellent.

At least one of the electrical connection structures 170 may be disposedin a fan-out region. The fan-out region refers to a region except for aregion in which the semiconductor chip 120 is disposed. The fan-outpackage may have excellent reliability as compared to a fan-in package,may implement a plurality of input/output (I/O) terminals, and mayfacilitate a 3D interconnection. In addition, as compared to a ball gridarray (BGA) package, a land grid array (LGA) package, or the like, thefan-out package may be manufactured to have a small thickness, and mayhave price competitiveness.

Meanwhile, although not illustrated in the drawings, a metal thin filmmay be formed on the walls of the recess portion 110H, if necessary, inorder to dissipate heat or block electromagnetic waves. In addition, aplurality of semiconductor chips 120 performing functions that are thesame as or different from each other may be disposed in the recessportion 110H, if necessary. In addition, a separate passive componentsuch as an inductor, a capacitor, or the like, may be disposed in therecess portion 110H, if necessary. In addition, passive components, forexample, surface mounting technology (SMT) components including aninductor, a capacitor, or the like, may be disposed on surfaces of thefirst and second passivation layers 151 and 152, if necessary.

FIGS. 11A through 11D are schematic views illustrating processes ofmanufacturing the fan-out semiconductor package of FIG. 9.

First, referring to FIG. 11A, the first insulating layer 111 a may beprepared using a copper clad laminate (CCL), or the like, and the firstand second wiring layers 112 a and 112 b and the first connection vialayers 113 a may be formed on and in the first insulating layer 111 a byany suitable plating process. Via holes for the first connection vialayers 113 a may be formed using a mechanical drill, a laser drill, orthe like. In addition, the stopper layer 112 aD may be formed bylaminating the DFR, or the like, on the first insulating layer 111 a,and then patterning the DFR. Then, the second and third insulatinglayers 111 b and 111 c may be formed on opposite surfaces of the firstinsulating layer 111 a, respectively. The second and third insulatinglayers 111 b and 111 c may be formed by laminating and then hardening anABF, or the like. Then, the third and fourth wiring layers 112 c and 112d and the second and third connection via layers 113 b and 113 c may beformed on and in the second and third insulating layers 111 b and 111 c,respectively, by any known plating process. Via holes for the second andthird connection via layers 113 b and 113 c may also be formed using amechanical drill, a laser drill, or the like. The second passivationlayer 152 may be attached to a first surface of the frame 110 preparedby a series of processes, and a carrier film 200 such as a DCF,including an insulating layer 201 and a metal layer 202 may be attachedto the second passivation layer 152. The second passivation layer 152may be introduced using a GCP material, but is not limited thereto.

Then, referring to FIG. 11B, a guide layer 250 such as a DFR may beattached to the other surface of the frame 110, and the recess portion110H penetrating through the first and third insulating layers 111 a and111 c may be formed by a sandblasting process. In this case, the stopperlayer 112 aD may serve as a stopper, and the guide layer 250 may serveas a guide. Since the DFR, or the like, used as the stopper layer 112 aDand the guide layer 250 has a very low etching rate, a process marginmay be improved in the sandblasting process. The formed recess portion110H may have a tapered shape. After the recess portion 110H is formed,the guide layer 250 may be removed, and the semiconductor chip 120 maybe disposed in the recess portion 110H so that the inactive surface isattached to the stopper layer 112 aD. Any known adhesive member 125 suchas a DAF may be used to attach the inactive surface to the stopper layer112 aD. Meanwhile, the semiconductor chip 120 may be attached in a statein which the bumps 120B such as copper (Cu) pillars are formed on theconnection pads 120P.

Then, referring to FIG. 11C, at least portions of the frame 110 and thesemiconductor chip 120 may be encapsulated using the encapsulant 130.The encapsulants 130 may be formed by laminating and then hardeningABFs, or the like. Then, the encapsulant 130 may be grinded so that thesurface of the fourth wiring layer 112 d and the surfaces of the bumps120B are exposed. A surface of the encapsulant 130 may become flat bythe grinding, and the surfaces of the bumps 120B and the surface of thefourth wiring layer 112 d may be exposed from the encapsulant 130. Then,a PID may be applied to the encapsulant 130 and be then hardened to formthe insulating layer 141, and the redistribution layer 142 and theconnection vias 143 may be formed on and in the insulating layer 141 bya plating process.

Referring to FIG. 11D larger numbers of insulating layers 141,redistribution layers 142, and connection vias 143 may be formeddepending on a design. The connection member 140 may be formed by aseries of processes. Then, the first passivation layer 151 may be formedon the connection member 140 by laminating and then hardening an ABF, orthe like, and the carrier film 200 may be removed. Then, the underbumpmetal layers 160 may be formed by any known metallization method, andthe electrical connection structures 170 may be formed by a reflowprocess using solder balls, or the like. The fan-out semiconductorpackage 100A according to the exemplary embodiment may be manufacturedby a series of processes.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another exampleof a fan-out semiconductor package.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a process offorming a recess portion of the fan-out semiconductor package of FIG.12.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, in a fan-out semiconductor package 100Baccording to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, aframe 110 may further include a guide layer 112 bd disposed on a secondsurface of a first insulating layer 111 a. The guide layer 112 bd may becovered by the third insulating layer 111 c, and at least portions ofside surfaces of the guide layer 112 bd may be exposed. The guide layer112 bd may also include a material having an etching rate lower thanthat of a metal such as copper (Cu) in a sandblasting process. Forexample, the guide layer 112 bd may also include an insulating material.In more detail, the guide layer 112 bd may also be, for example, a DFRincluding a photosensitive polymer, but is not limited thereto. In thiscase. walls of a recess portion 110H formed in the first insulatinglayer 111 a may have a first gradient, walls of the recess portion 110Hformed in the third insulating layer 111 c may have a second gradient,and directions of the first and second gradients may be opposite to eachother in relation to the exposed side surfaces of the guide layer 112bd. As described above, when the guide layer 112 bd is introduced. ashape of the recess portion 110H may be controlled. Other contentsoverlap those described above, and a detailed description thereof isthus omitted.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another exampleof a fan-out semiconductor package.

FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view taken along line II-II′ of the fan-outsemiconductor package of FIG. 14.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, a fan-out semiconductor package 100Caccording to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure mayinclude a frame 110 having a recess portion 110H having a blind form ofwhich a first surface is covered with a stopper layer 112 bD and asecond surface opposing the first surface is opened, a semiconductorchip 120 having an active surface having connection pads 120P disposedthereon and an inactive surface opposing the active surface and disposedin the recess portion 110H so that the inactive surface is attached tothe stopper layer 112 bD, an encapsulant 130 encapsulating at leastportions of each of the frame 110 and the semiconductor chip 120 andfilling at least portions of the recess portion 110H, and a connectionmember 140 disposed on the frame 110, the encapsulant 130, and theactive surface of the semiconductor chip 120. In addition, the fan-outsemiconductor package 100C according to another exemplary embodiment mayfurther include a passivation layer 150 disposed on the connectionmember 140 and having openings exposing at least portions of aredistribution layer 142 of the connection member 140, underbump metallayers 160 disposed in the openings of the passivation layer 150 andelectrically connected to the exposed redistribution layer 142, andelectrical connection structures 170 disposed on the underbump metallayers 160 and electrically connected to the exposed redistributionlayer 142 through the underbump metal layers 160. Bumps 120B and 130Bsuch as copper (Cu) posts may be formed on the connection pads 120P anda wiring layer 112 c, respectively, and may be encapsulated with theencapsulant 130. Surfaces of the bumps 120B and 130B in contact with theconnection member 140 may be disposed on a level that is substantiallythe same as that a surface of the encapsulant 130 in contact with theconnection member 140, by a grinding process to be described below.

The frame 110 may include a first insulating layer 111 a, a first wiringlayer 112 a embedded in the first insulating layer 111 a so that onesurface thereof is exposed, a second wiring layer 112 b disposed on theother surface of the first insulating layer 111 a opposing one surfaceof the first insulating layer 111 a in which the first wiring layer 112a is embedded, a second insulating layer 111 b disposed on the firstinsulating layer 111 a and covering the second wiring layer 112 b, and athird wiring layer 112 c disposed on the second insulating layer 111 b.The first to third wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, and 112 c may beelectrically connected to each other through first and second connectionvia layers 113 a and 113 b each penetrating through the first and secondinsulating layers 111 a and 111 b, and may be electrically connected tothe connection pads 120 through the redistribution layers 142, or thelike. The first and second connection via layers 113 a and 113 b mayhave tapered shapes of which directions are the same as each other. Thefirst to third wiring layers 112 a, 112 b, and 112 c may havethicknesses greater than those of the redistribution layers 142 for asimilar reason. Exposed one surface of the first wiring layer 112 a andone surface of the first insulating layer 111 a exposing the firstwiring layer 112 a may have a step therebetween for a reason of aprocess to be described below.

The stopper layer 112 bD may be disposed on the other surface of thefirst insulating layer 111 a opposing one surface of the firstinsulating layer 111 a in which the first wiring layer 112 a isembedded. An edge region of the stopper layer 112 bD may be covered withthe second insulating layer 111 b, and at least portions of a surface ofthe stopper layer 112 bD except for the edge region may be exposed bythe recess portion 110H. The recess portion 110H may penetrate throughthe second insulating layer 111 b, but may not penetrate through thefirst insulating layer 111 a. Walls of the recess portion 110H formed inthe second insulating layer 111 b may have a gradient. Likewise, thestopper layer 112 bD may include a material having a low etching rate,for example, an insulating material, more specifically, a photosensitivepolymer such as a DFR, but is not limited thereto. The edge region ofthe stopper layer 112 bD covered with the second insulating layer 111 bmay have a thickness greater than that of a region of the stopper layer112 bD exposed from the second insulating layer 111 b by the recessportion 110H. The reason is that portions of the surface may be removedin a sandblasting process.

Meanwhile, an embedded trace substrate (ETS) process to be describedbelow may be required in order to manufacture the fan-out semiconductorpackage 100C according to another exemplary embodiment into which aframe 110 having an embedded pattern 112 a and a blind recess portion110H is introduced. In this case, since a carrier substrate 200 is usedfrom when the frame 110 is manufactured until when the connection member140 is formed, warpage of the fan-out semiconductor package 100C may beefficiently controlled in all of process of manufacturing the fan-outsemiconductor package 100C, and a separate carrier need not beadditionally attached in an intermediate process, such that a costrequired for manufacturing the fan-out semiconductor package 100C may bedecreased. In addition, when the embedded pattern 112 a is disposed on alevel different from that of the stopper layer 112 bD for forming theblind recess portion 110H, that is, when the embedded pattern 112 a isdisposed on a level below the stopper layer 112 bD, the embedded pattern112 a itself may become a backside wiring layer in relation to thesemiconductor chip 120, and the backside wiring layer may thus be easilyintroduced. Other contents overlap those described above, and a detaileddescription thereof is thus omitted.

FIGS. 16A through 16C are schematic views illustrating processes ofmanufacturing the fan-out semiconductor package of FIG. 14.

Referring to FIG. 16A, the frame 110 may be formed using a carriersubstrate 200 in which a plurality of metal layers 202 and 203 aredisposed on each of opposite surfaces of an insulating layer 201. Indetail, the first wiring layers 112 a may be formed on opposite surfacesof the carrier substrate 200 by a plating process using outer metallayers 203 of the carrier substrate 200 as seed layers, the first wiringlayers 112 a may be covered with the first insulating layers 111 a, viaholes penetrating through the first insulating layers 111 a may beformed using a laser drill, or the like, and the second wiring layers112 b and the first connection via layers 113 a may be formed by anysuitable plating process. In addition, the stopper layers 112 bD may beformed by laminating and then patterning DFRs. Then, the secondinsulating layers 111 b may be formed on the first insulating layers 111a, via holes penetrating through the second insulating layers 111 b maybe formed using a laser drill, or the like, and the third wiring layers112 c and the second connection via layers 113 b may be formed by anysuitable plating process. Then, guide layers 250 such as DFRs, or thelike, may be patterned on and attached to the second insulating layers112 b, and the recess portions 110H penetrating through the secondinsulating layers 111 b may be formed by a sandblasting process. In thiscase, the stopper layers 112 bD may serve as stoppers. The formed recessportions 110H may have the tapered shape. After the recess portions 110Hare formed, the guide layers 250 may be removed.

Then, referring to FIG. 16B, the semiconductor chips 120 may be disposedin the recess portions 110H so that the inactive surfaces are attachedto the stopper layers 112 bD. Any suitable adhesive members 125 such asDAFs may be used to attach the inactive surfaces to the stopper layers112 bD. Meanwhile, the bumps 120B may be formed on the connection pads120P of the semiconductor chips 120. The bumps 130B such as the copperposts may be formed on the third wiring layers 112 c of the frames 110.Then, at least portions of the frames 110 and the semiconductor chips120 may be encapsulated using the encapsulants 130. The encapsulants 130may be formed by laminating and then hardening ABFs, or the like. Then,a grinding process may be performed to make one surfaces of theencapsulants 130 and one surfaces of the bumps 120B and 130B flat to bedisposed on the same level. Then, PIDs may be applied to theencapsulants 130 and be then hardened to form the insulating layers 141,and the redistribution layers 142 and the connection vias 143 may beformed on and in the insulating layers 141 by a plating process. In thiscase, via holes may be formed by a photolithography method usingexposure and development. Then, the passivation layers 150 may be formedon the connection members 140 by laminating and then hardening ABFs, orthe like.

Then, referring to FIG. 16C, precursors of manufactured packages may beseparated from the carrier substrate 200. The separation may beperformed by a process of separating the metal layers 202 and 203 fromeach other. The outer metal layer 203 remaining below of the firstinsulating layer 111 a may be removed by an etching process. In thiscase, a step may be generated between the lower surface of the firstinsulating layer 111 a and a lower surface of the first wiring layer 112a. Then, if necessary, the openings may be formed in the passivationlayer 150, the underbump metal layers 160 may be formed in the openingsby any known metallization method, and the electrical connectionstructures 170 may be formed by a reflow process using solder balls, orthe like. The underbump metal layers 160 and the electrical connectionstructures 170 may also be manufactured in a state in which they areattached to the carrier substrate 200. The fan-out semiconductor package100C according to the exemplary embodiment may be manufactured by aseries of processes.

As set forth above, according to the exemplary embodiments in thepresent disclosure, a fan-out semiconductor package in which a framehaving a blind recess portion is introduced, a semiconductor chip isdisposed in the frame, and gradients of walls of the recess portion arecontrolled to optimize a process may be provided.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications andvariations could be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fan-out semiconductor package comprising: aframe including a plurality of insulating layers, a plurality of wiringlayers disposed on the plurality of insulating layers, and a pluralityof connection via layers penetrating through the plurality of insulatinglayers and electrically connecting the plurality of wiring layers toeach other, and having a recess portion having a stopper layer disposedon a bottom surface thereof; a semiconductor chip having connectionpads, an active surface on which the connection pads are disposed, andan inactive surface opposing the active surface, and being disposed inthe recess portion so that the inactive surface is connected to thestopper layer; an encapsulant covering at least portions of thesemiconductor chip and filling at least portions of the recess portion;and a connection member disposed on the frame and the active surface ofthe semiconductor chip and including a redistribution layer electricallyconnecting the plurality of wiring layers of the frame and theconnection pads of the semiconductor chip to each other, wherein thestopper layer includes an insulating material, wherein the plurality ofinsulating layers including a core insulating layer and one or morefirst build-up insulating layers disposed on an upper surface of thecore insulating layer, and wherein the recess portion penetrates throughthe core insulating layer and a first build-up insulating layer fromamong the one or more first build-up insulating layers.
 2. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the insulating material of thestopper layer includes a photosensitive polymer.
 3. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the stopper layer is a dryfilm photo-resist (DFR).
 4. The fan-out semiconductor package of claim1, wherein the plurality of insulating layers include one or more secondbuild-up insulating layers disposed below of the core insulating layer,and the core insulating layer has a thickness greater than that of eachof the first and second build-up insulating layers.
 5. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 4, wherein the number of first build-upinsulating layers and the number of second build-up insulating layersare the same as each other.
 6. The fan-out semiconductor package ofclaim 4, wherein first connection vias penetrating through the firstbuild-up insulating layer and second connection vias penetrating throughthe second build-up insulating layer are tapered in opposite directionsto each other.
 7. The fan-out semiconductor package of claim 4, whereinthe recess portion penetrates through at least the core insulatinglayer, and walls of the recess portion penetrating through the coreinsulating layer are tapered to have a first gradient.
 8. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 7, wherein a guide layer of which sidesurfaces are exposed through the recess portion is disposed on the uppersurface of the core insulating layer, and walls of the recess portionpenetrating through the first build-up insulating layer are tapered tohave a second gradient different from the first gradient.
 9. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 8, wherein an insulating material of theguide layer includes a photosensitive polymer.
 10. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 8, wherein the guide layer is a DFR. 11.The fan-out semiconductor package of claim 8, wherein the walls of therecess portion are tapered in opposite directions to each other inrelation to the exposed side surfaces of the guide layer.
 12. Thefan-out semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein a region of thestopper layer exposed by the recess portion has a thickness smaller thanthat of an edge region of the stopper layer that is not exposed.
 13. Thefan-out semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the stopper layer hasa planar area greater than that of the inactive surface of thesemiconductor chip.
 14. The fan-out semiconductor package of claim 1,wherein the bottom surface of the recess portion has a planar areagreater than that of the inactive surface of the semiconductor chip. 15.The fan-out semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein a lowermost wiringlayer of the plurality of wiring layers is embedded in the frame so thata lower surface thereof is exposed.
 16. The fan-out semiconductorpackage of claim 15, wherein the exposed lower surface of the lowermostwiring layer has a step with respect to a lower surface of the frame.17. The fan-out semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the inactivesurface of the semiconductor chip is attached to the stopper layer by anadhesive member.
 18. The fan-out semiconductor package of claim 1,wherein metal bumps are disposed on the connection pads of thesemiconductor chip, and upper surfaces of the metal bumps are coplanarwith an upper surface of the encapsulant.
 19. The fan-out semiconductorpackage of claim 18, wherein an upper surface of an uppermost wiringlayer of the plurality of wiring layers of the frame or an upper surfaceof an uppermost connection via layer of the plurality of connection vialayers is coplanar with the upper surfaces of the metal bumps and theupper surface of the encapsulant.
 20. The fan-out semiconductor packageof claim 1, further comprising: a first passivation layer disposed onthe connection member and having openings exposing at least portions ofthe redistribution layer; underbump metal layers disposed in theopenings of the first passivation layer and connected to at leastportions of the exposed redistribution layer; and electrical connectionstructures disposed on the first passivation layer and connected to theunderbump metal layers.
 21. The fan-out semiconductor package of claim20, further comprising a second passivation layer disposed below of theframe and having openings exposing at least portions of a lowermostwiring layer of the plurality of wiring layers.
 22. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wiringlayers are disposed on a level below the stopper layer.
 23. A fan-outsemiconductor package, comprising: a frame having a recess having astopper layer disposed on a bottom surface of the recess, and havingwiring layers disposed on each of an upper and a lower surface of theframe; a semiconductor chip having an active surface and an inactivesurface and being disposed in the recess such that the inactive surfacecontacts the stopper layer, the active surface comprising connectionpads; and an encapsulant covering at least portions of the frame, thesemiconductor chip, and filling at least a portion of the recess,wherein the frame includes a core insulating layer and one or morebuild-up insulating layers disposed on an upper surface of the coreinsulating layer, and wherein the recess portion penetrates through thecore insulating layer and a build-up insulating layer from among the oneor more build-up insulating layers.
 24. The fan-out semiconductorpackage of claim 23, wherein metal bumps are disposed on the connectionpads of the semiconductor chip, and upper surfaces of the metal bumpsare coplanar with an upper surface of the encapsulant.
 25. The fan-outsemiconductor package of claim 24, further comprising a connectionmember disposed on the frame and the active surface of the semiconductorchip, the connection member comprising a redistribution layerelectrically connected to the connection pads and the uppermost wiringlayer through the metal bumps.
 26. The fan-out semiconductor package ofclaim 23, wherein the stopper layer comprises an insulating materialhaving an etching rate lower than that of copper (Cu) in a sandblastingprocess.